Larchfield Community workshop for Natural Futures

This full-day workshop held at Larchfield Community, Camphill Village Trust in Middlesbrough focused on participants developing collective approaches towards key questions around place and ownership towards nature recovery and voice. A researcher in critical practice and social engagement, Dr Paul Stewart’s Assembly of Actions considered geographical, ecological and social issues through the production of a collectively written nature manifesto made up of words, ideas, wants, oppressions, emotions brought out from the participants in response to how nature has a democratic voice. These developed into a series of responses through karaoke performance, placard making, collective poetry and discussion. A key aim was to come to a collective understanding of how to act on the question rather than a resolution of the question, how can we make sure nature has a voice. The pandemic presented an opportunity to redefine how space, navigation, touch and embrace are all considered and their renewed effects on the world we live in. The feedback demonstrated that the group had many ideas of what nature means to them but had not applied that knowledge to collective and individual actions that impact ecosystems and their own day to day routines. The overwhelming feedback from all participants was the freedom to explore climate action in such an exploratory manner allowed them to recognise their impact and role in nature recovery. The development of co-authored nature manifesto was also highlighted as a meaningful outcome.

The Workshops

Assembly of Actions is a co-produced group performance involving tools and techniques to question democracy, site, power and ownership. Influenced by alternative art school strategies and methodologies to art making, the Assembly will consider and develop collective and individual response to nature and the environment. Through tangible and intangible actions including movement, text, speech, sound and empathy. Through the course of our performance, we will work through positions of unfamiliarity – our relationships with one another; the aesthetics we collectively adhere to; the dynamics of the space we are occupying; our comfort in expressing ourselves in a shared space. The purpose is to use the below tools to expand on how nature has voice in democracy and how to make visible the effects we have on plant and animal life in our day to day actions.

Tools:

Geodome: co-constructing a bamboo geodome to create a refuge/safe space/ site of ownership.

Collective score: using pens and paper to gather words, ideas, emotions, oppressions and desires to generate a score for resultant actions. 

Karaoke: playful social format to break the ice; temporary emancipation through song; providing chance lyrical elements to incorporate into the performance.

Camera & mic: democratic camera operation for participant-led handheld documentation and live voice over reflections.